New York — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is calling for a state constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights.

Cuomo spoke today at a rally at Barnard College in Manhattan. He was joined by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and several state Democratic lawmakers, according to the New York Daily News.

He said during the rally he fears the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision that currently protects abortion rights nationwide could be overturned by the court's new conservative majority, according to the News.

Abortion was always expected to be on the agenda for the Legislature this year. Cuomo called for a constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights last year as well, although the proposal will likely gain more traction now with Albany under full Democratic control.

He said the shifting nature of modern politics means future governors and Legislatures could easily overturn whatever laws he and today's Democratic majorities in the Senate and Assembly pass. An amendment to the state's constitution would be harder to erase.

"We'll put it on the ballot, we'll write it into the constitution and we'll be able to say we have protected women's rights in a way no one else has before," Cuomo said, according to the News.

Lawmakers also said they will pass bills later this month that would strengthen the state’s current abortion laws and require insurance companies to provide coverage for women’s contraception, the News said.

The bill to strengthen abortion laws, the Reproductive Health Act, has been approved by the Assembly in the past, but stalled in the Republican-led Senate. Democrats now control both chambers, according to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.

The bill would add protections granted by the Roe vs. Wade decision to New York state law and remove abortion from the penal code, the D&C said.

The bill on coverage for contraception has also been long-stalled.

The amendment would require passage by two separately elected Legislatures before the matter goes to voters. Cuomo said he will push for the first round of passage this year, meaning 2021 is the earliest voters would get the issue, according to the News.

During the rally, Clinton said that the struggle for women's equality is not just something to read about in history books, according to the D&C.